Journal of Microbiology & Experimentation
Review Article
COVID-19: A novel strain challenging the human
race
Abstract
Diseases are not new to the humans’ as we have learnt to cope up with a variety of contagion
and contagious infections. Way back in the 18th century cowpox was a terrorizing clinical
condition and as time progressed, the era of rabies and TB was an issue of health concern.
But time has been the eternal evidence to validate the fight of mankind against these clinical
manifestations. However, over the last few months, the world is being taken by a swing by
an invisible, nanoscopic biological particle which was later named as COVID-19 or in short
form is represented as nCoV-19 where n designate the uniqueness of the virus and is rightly
called as novel corona virus 19 (nCoV-19). Though the outbreak of the pandemic gained
its pace in 2020, it was initially discovered in December 2019 in the Wuhan province of
China. Hence the virus is represented with 19 as a suffix. The disease which initially started
as an epidemic soon started its universal form and became a severe pandemic all over the
globe. The current article is an attempt to comprehend the facets of COVID-19 otherwise
called as novel corona virus which is very often compared to the SARS outbreak in 2002 in
China. The article also attempts to disclose various measures undertaken by the government
and private firms to curb the intensity of the contagion. The current article emphasizes
on clinical signs and epidemiological characteristics of novel corona virus disease and
endeavors to brief out the possible steps to curd the rapid spreading of the disease.
Keywords: corona virus, COVID-19, nCoV-19, quarantine and social distancing, signs
and symptoms of COVID-19, nCoV-19 treatment
Introduction
Over the course of time, human beings have adjusted to cope up
with situations and circumstances that have confronted them at every
point of their lives. A very similar scenario is being experienced by
people all over the globe because of a nanoscopic biological particle
that has taken the world by its stride. The most common discussion over
the last few months on a global scale has been the COVID pandemic
and India was not an exception to its outbreak. COVID-19 is a newly
discovered disease caused by corona virus. Though several theories
have attempted to validate the claim that the global pandemic started
as an epidemic in the Wuhan province of china during September
2019, the formal authentication on the contagion was not known till
November 2019. It was in December 2019 when the causal agent
was officially named as 2019 novel corona virus infection otherwise
called as 2019-nCoV which stands for novel corona virus.1 The 2019
novel corona virus emerged in the Wuhan province of China and has
become a global issue of health concern. The disease is one of its own
kinds and is considered to be zonotic in nature. Though its existence
is known to the scientific community over the last few decades, the
current contagion is a novel strain and was not discovered in the past.
The initial discovery of corona virus was in 1930s when an acute
respiratory infection of domesticated chicken was shown to cause a
condition known as infectious bronchitis and the virus was named
as infectious bronchitis virus.2 The clinical manifestation has resulted
in a mortality rate up to 40-90% in the infected chickens. The virus
responsible for causing infectious bronchitis was successfully isolated
and cultivated in the later years by Fred Beaudette and Charles
Hudson.3 In the later years two more animal corona viruses were
discovered in mouse and pig that were known for causing hepatitis
and gastroenteritis in mouse and pig. The viruses were named as
mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) and transmissible gastroenteritis virus
Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com J Microbiol Exp. 2020;8(3):98‒107.
©2020 Ranganathan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.
Open Access
Volume 8 Issue 3 - 2020
Vasudevan Ranganathan, Padma Madham,
Arpitha Somayaji
Department of Microbiology, Aurora’s Degree and PG College,
India
Correspondence: Vasudevan Ranganathan, Department of
Microbiology, Aurora’s Degree and PG College (Affiliated to
Osmania University), India-500020, Tel 8121119692,
Email
Received: May 01, 2020 | Published: May 20, 2020
(TGEV) and it was later known that these viruses (IBV, MHV and
TGEV) were related to each other.4,5
However, it was in the 1960s when human corona viruses were
discovered and were isolated using different methods in the UK
and US.6,7 Researchers at the common cold unit of British Medical
Research Council in 1960 have isolated a common cold virus B814
from a boy.8,9 However, it was not until 1965 when an appropriate
method of cultivating the virus was successfully implemented by
Tyrrell and Byone by serially passing the novel virus through the
organ culture of human embryonic trachea.10 Bertil Hoorn is credited
to have discovered the new method of cultivating the virus which can
be inoculated in to volunteers through intranasal route. Ether treatment
has successfully inactivated the virus which indicates the presence of
lipid envelope.11,12 During the course of time, Dorothy Hamre and John
Procknow at the University of Chicago have isolated a cold causing
virus in the medial students that were cultivated on the kidney tissue
culture cells.13 Further studies on these strains have revealed affiliated
facts from the context of their morphology and structure. Electron
microscopic studies have disclosed distinctive morphological assets
like surface spikes on the virus and viral envelope. Striking revelations
were made in the later years from the context of morphology among
these viruses which has validated the morphological similarities
among the viral strains isolated from humans with those isolated from
chicken and pigs which in turn has provided the scientific evidence of
these belonging to the same family of viruses.
Further insights on COVID-19
Based on the kind of clinical manifestation caused, it was renamed
n 7th January 2020 as SARS corona virus (severe acute respiratory
syndrome corona virus) by International committee on Taxonomy
98

COVID-19: A novel strain challenging the human race
of Viruses (ICTV). ICTV indeed has put forth the claim to validate
the role of the virus in causing a disease called as COVID-19
otherwise called as corona virus disease 2019. The WHO (World
Health Organization) has then initiated the urge to instigate global
public health emergency. The WHO has proclaimed the necessity of a
worldwide health emergency from the context of dire consequences as
a result of susceptible health systems. On 30th January 2020, the world
health organization declared community health crisis on a global scale
that could compromise the health structure in several countries leading
to the outbreak of the contagion.14,15 The prevalence of the epidemic
was so rapid that it soon spread to other countries from China and
was declared as a severe pandemic claiming lives. As of 26th March 4,
60,000 have tested positive which has increased to a staggered number
Figure 1 The above pie illustration depicts the global COVID 19 positive cases as on 26th April 2020.16
Hence, the only way to lessen the wide spread of the disease
is by limiting public gathering and lockdown is the easiest way to
achieve social distancing. The fact of people getting stranded at
different regions in the country cannot be denied as the fear of the
disease and imposed quarantine measures have provoked legal bodies
and authorized organizations to employ drastic steps to contain the
contagion. Several sectors all over the world ranging from industries
to academics have been severely hampered and have gone in to
dormancy for the last couple of months. In simple terms, the clinical
condition has taken the entire globe in to a state of stagnation.
What is corona virus?
Viruses are quite hostile biological entities. Entity can be applied
to a living or a non living unit. As a matter of fact viruses are generally
considered a cellular and require a compatible host for its sustenance;
they are biological because they are made up of bio-molecules.
Though the novel corona virus is a newly discovered virus, corona
viruses are a group of viruses that are associated with mammals and
birds. It is known for causing mild to lethal respiratory tract infections
in humans. Placid symptoms in humans include common cold while
under severe circumstances can lead to multiple organ failure. The
extent of severity in humans depends on their medical history. It has
been found that elder adults and people with an existing medical
condition are susceptible to the disease.18 They are enveloped viruses
comprising of a positive sense single stranded RNA as its genome
that is encased in a protein capsid. The nucleocapsid exhibits a
Citation: Ranganathan V, Madham P, Somayaji A. COVID-19: A novel strain challenging the human race. J Microbiol Exp. 2020;8(3):98‒107.
DOI: 10.15406/jmen.2020.08.00292
Copyright:
©2020 Ranganathan et al. 99
of 2.9 million over a span of one month. The number of positive cases
of COVID as of 26th April is over 2.9 million with over 2, 00,000
deaths on a global scale.16,17 As a matter of fact, the pandemic has
changed the life style of people by influencing their daily routine. It
could be rightly said the pandemic also had a psychological impact
people in addition to biological manifestations. It could be rightly
said that the current situation has triggered the circumstantial behavior
in humans. This statement could be substantiated from the present
scenario that has indeed forced people to acclimatize to a contrasting
life style different from what it used to be in the recent past. One of the
main issues related to the disease is the lack of a suitable vaccine or
medicine to counteract the efficacy of the disease (Figure 1).
helical symmetry. The gnome of the virus is considered to be one of
the largest among viruses which consists of 26 to 32 kilobases. The
electron micrographic images of the virus shows club shaped spike
like projections from its surface which resembles solar corona. Hence
they are widely known as corona virus.19,20 The first attempts to study
human corona virus was made by June Almeida and David Tyrrell
who pioneered in the observatory studies on human corona virus and
the name “corona” was coined by these pioneers. The term corona
virus also has its Latin and Greek connection as the word corona was
derived Latin which means crown.21 The virus is considered to be
zoonotic in nature as it was first discovered in domesticated chickens
that suffered from acute respiratory infection. It was then disclosed
that the infection among the domesticated chickens was caused by
infectious bronchitis virus (IBV).22 The infection in new born chicks
was characterized gasping and listlessness and the mortality rate
was up to 90%. It was not until the 1940s when two more strains
of the viruses were discovered in mouse and pigs respectively. Two
more animal corona viruses, mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) and
transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGV) were isolated from mouse
and pigs respectively. However, it was not known that all these three
viruses were related.23-25
Human corona virus
Human corona viruses were discovered in the 1960s and were
isolated using unique techniques in UK and US. Though the general
technique employed for cultivating viruses were of no use for corona

COVID-19: A novel strain challenging the human race
virus isolation, Tyrrell and Byone in 1965 successfully isolated the
virus. Their method involved the serial passing of the virus through
the organ cultures of human embryonic trachea.26 New methods of
isolating the virus were introduced and the viral inoculation in to
humans was done through intranasal route in volunteers which cold
and the virus was inactivated by injecting ether which indicated the
presence of lipid envelope.
Different strains of novel viruses inoculated in to volunteers caused
cold and the inactivation of these different strains were possible by
ether treatment.27,28 Further studies have disclosed various insights
which revealed the morphological relatedness between the IBV
(infectious bronchitis virus that was isolated in chicken) and MHV
(mouse hepatitis virus). However, the IBV group was later known to be
called as corona virus due to their distinctive morphological features.
The virus is considered to be pleomorphic and is capable of altering
its biological abilities and is made of a lipid bilayer envelope which
comprises of bulbous surface projections. The lipid bilayer envelope
Figure 2 Diagrammaic illustration of Corona virus.33
Figure 3 Illustrating the viral transcript.34
The genome of the virus is made of positive sense single stranded
RNA and its size ranges from 26 to 32 kilobases and is considered as
one of the largest among RNA viruses. The genome is also known
to possess a methylated cap at the 5 prime end and poly a tail at
the 3 prime end. The genome of the virus consists of untranslated
regions at the 5 and 3 prime end which has its prominence in the
regulation of the translation process of different structural genes of
virus. In addition to reading frames that encode for viral structural
proteins like spike, membrane, envelope and nucleocapsid, there are
reading frames for accessory proteins and their functions depends on
the specific corona virus.19,30
Pathophysiology
The COVID 19 belongs to a sub family of coronavirinae
comprising of SS RNA as its genetic material. The viruses of this
family are known for causing cold like symptoms which under
Citation: Ranganathan V, Madham P, Somayaji A. COVID-19: A novel strain challenging the human race. J Microbiol Exp. 2020;8(3):98‒107.
DOI: 10.15406/jmen.2020.08.00292
Copyright:
©2020 Ranganathan et al. 100
anchors the vital proteins like the membrane and the structural spike
proteins which will assist in the viral attachment to the host. Certain
strains of corona virus also exhibit shorter spike like surface protein
called hemagglutinin esterase (ET) commonly abbreviated as HE.29
Microbiology and genome of the virus
Corona virus is a large ploemorphic spherical particle with spiked
bulbous surface projection with a diameter of 120nm. The dimensions
of envelope and spike are 80nm and 20nm respectively. The envelope
is made of lipid bilayer membrane that is studded with the spike like
projection which allows the virus attachment to a compatible host.30,31
The viral envelope comprises of structural proteins that are anchored
to the surface membrane and the nucleocapsid in encased within the
envelope. The nucleocapsid surrounded by the envelope consists of
multiple copies of nucleocapsid proteins that are bound to a positive
sense single stranded RNA genome which resembles beads on a string
confirmation. The virus is protected by the envelope and membrane
proteins in the absence of host cell (Figure 2 & 3).32,33
severe circumstances can lead to SARS (severe acute respiratory
syndrome) and is also known for Middle East syndrome (MES). In
2019, a new strain of the virus originated from China is responsible
for the worldwide outbreak of the pandemic. Further studies from
the context of structural and genomic facets on COVID 19 have
disclosed its genomic relatedness to previously identified corona virus
that was responsible for an outbreak in 2003.35 The composition of
SARS corona virus is well defined and structural studies have further
disclosed the binding of 14 residues with the human angiotnsin
converting enzyme 2. This enzyme is attached to the outer surface of
cells in lungs, heart, kidneys, intestines, arteries and they play a very
vital role in monitoring the blood pressure by regulating the body fluid
potential.36 Eight amino acids in COVID 19 were conserved and the
thought of it mild impact on humans was ruled out after the global
outbreak of SARS CoV. However, the insights of pathophysiology is
yet be fully understood as the research on COVID 19 is still going on

COVID-19: A novel strain challenging the human race
but its genomic resemblance to SARS CoV partially explains the role
of COVID 19 in causing respiratory manifestations.37
Symptoms and causes
The infected patient exhibited symptoms ranging from dry cough,
fever, sour throat to septic shock, pulmonary edema, multiple organ
failure, pneumonia and ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome).38
Older adults and patients with prior health complications are highly
susceptible to CoV infections. Patients with the history of digestive,
respiratory ad endocrine diseases needs special attention as the
possibility of clinical severity is high among them.18 Signs and
symptoms of corona virus disease 19 (COVID-19) appear between
2 to 14 days in an individual after exposure. The time from the entry
of the virus till the appearance of clinical signs is called as incubation
time. Apart from breathing difficulties, fever and cough, persistence
of other signs like sore throat, diarrhea, tiredness and severe vomiting
have been related to COVID19.
Certain sources have also disclosed the persistence of severe
abdominal pain, dizziness, anorexia and dyspnoea.39 Though the
virus is considered to be zoonotic, its wide outbreak in humans has
been an issue of serious concern. The outbreak of SARS-CoV from
cats to humans in China (2002) and MERS-CoV from Camels to
humans in the Middle East (2012) strongly validates the zoonotic
nature of the virus. However, the recent reports have substantiated the
transmission of the disease from human to human through infected
droplets or contact. Studies have disclosed the persistence of the virus
for few hours in the air when an infected person sneezes or coughs.
Nevertheless, the virus may not be able to stay for longer durations
in air because of the heavy nature of the discharged droplets which
falls on the ground or any object. If these droplets get deposited on
any article the spread of the disease occurs by mere contact with these
articles or objects. People with a travel history of COVID 19 affected
areas serve as main perpetrators in spreading the disease.40 The only
remedy to safeguard ourselves from the contagion is by maintaining
social distancing and following quarantine measures to ensure the
curbing of the pandemic. Personal hygiene is one of the vital facets
that can be affiliated to the pandemic and people compromising on
their personal hygiene are susceptible to the disease.
Clinical signs and symptoms
Measures to curb COVID-19
The outbreak of nCoV-19 pandemic has been declared as a medical
emergency from the context of people health and has been proclaimed
as public health emergency of international concern. While a lot is
yet to be disclosed, certain facts on the disease have elaborated the
measures to evade the contagion. Many vital facts on CoV-19 are not
fully understood but steps like social distancing and personal hygiene
has been proven to be useful. It is a widely accepted truth that the
transmission occurs on coming in contact with the respiratory droplets
and any basic measure like use of masks or tissue papers avoids the
release of the infected droplets in the air or on to articles which
serves as prime means of infection. As a matter of fact discharge of
infected droplets through sneezing and coughing can be avoided by
using a mask or a tissue paper. Individuals can also get infected by
touching the contaminated surfaces. Self inoculation of the contagion
is possible by rubbing the nose, ears and mouth after coming in
contact with contaminated surfaces and objects. As COVIC-19
continuous to spread among communities, there is an urge to curb
Citation: Ranganathan V, Madham P, Somayaji A. COVID-19: A novel strain challenging the human race. J Microbiol Exp. 2020;8(3):98‒107.
DOI: 10.15406/jmen.2020.08.00292
Copyright:
©2020 Ranganathan et al. 101
it occurrence by appropriate measures. The measures employed
could range from personal hygiene maintained by an individual to
legal steps implemented by the official bodies and organization
to introduce quarantine in order to prevent the spread of nCoV-19.
In fact, community transmission of the disease can be reduced to a
greater extent by maintaining social distancing and strict quarantine
strategies. The protection of children and older adults are of prime
importance because of their higher susceptibility to COVID-19.
Appropriate measures are necessary to prevent the outbreak in the
school settings following the lockdown period (Figure 4).
Figure 4 Diagrammatic illustration of COVID-19 symptoms.
Every area with the school premises and other educational
organizations should be thoroughly sterilized to ensure safety.
However, it is a global fact that COVID-19 does not differentiate
among races or ethnicities but young children and older adults should
be provided with extra care because of their susceptibility. Several
studies have validated the prominence of safety measures to evade
the contagion and many organizations have undertaken programs
to enlighten the severity of the disease. Apart from government
other private firms and industries have come forward with their part
of effort to curb the intensity of nCoV-19 through their financial
assistance. The COVID-19 disease may be restricted by following
quarantine measures like isolation, social distancing and early stage
detection.41 The ministry of health, family and welfare of the Indian
government has closely monitored the extent of positive cases in
India and has strengthened the health infrastructure to minimize
the outbreak of the disease. Many influential leaders including the
honorable prime minister have urged the citizens to maintain strict
quarantine measures through social distancing and janatha curfew.
The effective measures were followed all over the world in an attempt
to reduce the outbreak of the disease. The national and state health
authorities are constantly monitoring the health infrastructure and the
associated measures employed to ensure safety among people. The
authorities are also regularly reviewing the public health initiatives
including diagnostics and preventive remedies. The national center
for disease control (NCDC) has initiated appropriate measures and has
started the strategic health operation centers which served as a major
platform for answering public queries. Many official organizations
and legal bodies are in constant correspondence with the world health
organization to resolve the health emergency crisis. Several official
bodies like ministry of health, family and welfare, national center for
disease control, Indian council of medical research and ministry of
information are in talks with the world health organization through
the WHO joint monitoring group. Since January 2020, WHO joint
monitoring group has been providing technical assistance, guidance
 Copyright:
COVID-19: A novel strain challenging the human race ©2020 Ranganathan et al. 102

and useful resources to official bodies like ministry of health, family g. Stringent surveillance of the check-in points at airports
and welfare, national center for disease control, Indian council of
h. Fortification of the travel advisory guidelines
medical research and ministry of information.
i. Setting up of additional research lab apart from medical camps
Indian council of medical research has taken every effort to provide
to speed up the screening process (Figure 5 & 6)
the insights on the pandemic and has taken the initiative of introducing
the best possible techniques to perform nCoV-19 screening. j. Help line centers and control rooms for assisting people by
creating awareness
The government of India over the last three months has implemented
the following steps to evade the outbreak of the contagion42-45 k. As on 6th February 2020, 11 more labs were set up to cope up
with the crisis situation
a. Enhancement of public health facilities and infrastructure
l. Updated travel guidelines were put in to practice and visas for
b. Regular follow-ups in case of positive cases
foreign nations travelling from China were suspended
c. Setting up of nationwide diagnostic centers and hospitals
m. Passengers were screened at the airport and doubtful cases were
specialized in COVID-19 treatment
quarantined for diagnosis
d. Scrutinizing every entry and exit points thoroughly to segregate
n. Over 1100 flights covering 121000 passengers were screened as
the positive cases
on the first week of February 2020 at the airports
e. Setting up of health awareness camps
o. Risk communications were strengthened to sort out
f. Strategic health operation centers initiated by national center for miscommunication and false propaganda
disease control

Figure 5 Horizontal bars graphically depicting the number of COVID-19 positive cases as of 30th April 2020. 49

Figure 6 Diagrammatic illustration of the extent of COVID-19 severity in humans.

Diagnosis and potential treatment
It is a widely known fact that the initial symptoms include fever,
dry cough, breathing discomfort, vomiting, diarrhea and myalgia and
patients with the history of medical illness are highly susceptible and
are liable to kidney failures and ARDS (Acute respiratort distress
syndrome). In an attempt to cope up with the crisis the ministry of
health, family and welfare along with world health organization has
issued major clinical guidelines and epidemiological insights related
to COVID-19.46,47 Individuals suspected of positive signs to nCoV-19
are screened through stringent laboratory tests and procedures and are
kept in quarantine for 14 days which is considered as the incubation

Citation: Ranganathan V, Madham P, Somayaji A. COVID-19: A novel strain challenging the human race. J Microbiol Exp. 2020;8(3):98‒107.
DOI: 10.15406/jmen.2020.08.00292

COVID-19: A novel strain challenging the human race
period of the virus. Clinical tests on suspected patients are performed
multiple times to ensure the presence of the disease because the
virus has reached a stage where it can be non symptomatic. The non
symptomatic nature of the disease has indeed posed a greater level
challenge because it would be difficult to confirm the presence of the
virus in the patient at this stage. However, molecular analysis and
techniques are of great importance from the context of diagnosis and
identification of the clinical condition. COVID-19 infection can be
confirmed through genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of
brochoalvelor lavage or the fluid from the lower respiratory tract.48
As of now there is no specific vaccine or treatment for COVID-19.
Effective antiviral treatment is yet to be discovered but attempts are
being made to come out with an effective vaccine. Plasma is being
collected from those who have recovered from the illness and research
activities for productive outcomes are on its way. Certain reports have
claimed the significance of interferon ɑ and lopinavir/ritonavir among
SARS patients.
Reports suggest the efficiency of these drugs in lowering the
mortality rate among SARS infected patients.50 Several other drugs
like tenofovir, disoproxil, lamivudine are recommended as they serve
as DNA synthesis inhibitors. Chloroquin was helpful to some extent51
but according to WHO there is no specific vaccine or medicine for
COVID-19. Several clinical trials are being conducted in order to
derive a suitable way to counteract the contagion. Attempts are being
made by using RT PCT kits to comprehend the virus and ICMR in
collaboration with Bharat Biotech (which is a pharmaceutical firm)
has started the clinical trial on volunteers using plasma so sort out the
antibodies against the disease.
FDA employed measures52
The food and drug administration have taken appropriate measures
to cope up with the ongoing health emergency and created special
emergency programs for possible therapies which has been named
as the Corona virus Treatment Acceleration Program (CTAP). The
program employs every possible method to treat the patients in an
efficient manner with a check on the efficacy of the employed method
to counteract the disease. The clinical trials are currently going on in
order to gain knowledge about COVID-19.
The measures employed to counteract COVID-19 through CTAP
are as follows
a. Evaluation of new drugs and biological therapies
b. Employment of scientists and other staff officials to speed up
the process
c. Prioritization of interactions based on scientific merits of the
product for development plans
d. Provision of rapid protocols within 24hours of submission in
some cases
e. Working with applicants and other regulatory agencies to
accelerate the quality assessment of products used in COVID-19
treatment
f. Ensure the product supply to new sites without any disruption
Clinical trials53
Clinical trials are being influenced by COVID-19 pandemic due to
challenges arising from self isolation, site closures, travel restrictions
and discrepancies in the supply of vital products. These challenges
Citation: Ranganathan V, Madham P, Somayaji A. COVID-19: A novel strain challenging the human race. J Microbiol Exp. 2020;8(3):98‒107.
DOI: 10.15406/jmen.2020.08.00292
Copyright:
©2020 Ranganathan et al. 103
may lead to intricacies from the context of protocols, procedures and
administrative aspects. FDA is vigorously enduring its hard work to
provide the transparency needed to help ensure the wellbeing of clinical
trial participants, maintain acquiescence with good clinical practice
(GCP), and minimize risks to trial integrity during the COVID-19
pandemic. The FDA is organizing the propagation of information and
suggestions from CDER (Center for drug evaluation and research)
/FDA to domestic and international stakeholders regarding the
conduct of clinical trials during the COVID-19 pandemic. The prime
intention is to ensure appropriate input and consistency of information
within CDER and across centers. COVID-19-related inquiries from
stakeholders in accordance to regulatory measures and human health
safety were addressed appropriately. FDA is also maintaining a
tracking system for inquiries and responses connected to the conduct
of clinical trials affected by COVID-19.
How to protect ourselves and people around us?54
1. Have Know the spread of the disease
a. The virus is thought to spread mainly from person to person
(people who are in close contact)
b. Spreads through respiratory droplets when an infected person
coughs, sneezes
c. Objects with contaminated droplets also serve as a mode of
spreading the disease
d. Recent studies have revealed the presence of non symptomatic
COVID-19 that spreads among people
2. Washing hands can be beneficial
a. Washing hands frequently with soap for about 20 seconds have
proven to be a good practice
b. Alcohol hand sanitizer with 60% alcohol can be used if water
and soap is not available
c. Touching of nose, mouth and eyes should be avoided
3. Avoid close contact (maintain social distancing)
a. Avoid close contact with those who have tested positive for
COVID-19
b. Maintain social distancing and follow self quarantine measures
c. People without symptoms may harbor the virus, so we have
to maintain self isolation to help prevent the spreading of the
disease
d. Maintain distance from those who are highly susceptible to the
contagion like older adults and special care should be taken for
those who are highly vulnerable to the disease
4. Covering of mouth and nose with a cloth cover or mask
a. Everyone should cover their mouth and nose with a mask or a
cloth when they are in public
b. Cloth covering or mask is not recommended for children below
2 yrs as it might result in breathing discomfort and special care
should be taken to safe guard young children
c. Minimum distance of 6 feet should be maintained among
people as the use of face mask is not a substitute for social
distancing

COVID-19: A novel strain challenging the human race
5. Cover your mouth while cough and sneeze
a. We are supposed to cover our mouth with our elbow in the
absence of a cloth or a face mask
b. The used masks and tissues should be safely discarded
c. Washing of hands after coughing or sneezing with soap or
alcohol sanitizer
6. Personal hygiene
a. Clean and disinfect surfaces, objects, articles on a daily basis
b. Cleaning of door knobs, laptop, key board, phone, sink etc
c. Use of disinfectant consisting of sodium hypochlorite
Discussion
Microorganisms and humans have coexisted since the dawn of
the time. Over the eons, microorganism and humans have indeed
been an integral aspect of the nature. Humans have been employing
microorganisms for research which has in turn provided answers
to many human queries from the context of heath and well being.
Microorganisms are not of research prominence but are an integral
part of human system which comprises of fulltime and part time
pathogens. However the human system has always being able to
maintain the ecological niche to ensure well being and our immune
system plays a vital role in protecting us from foreign invaders.
But over the last few months the entire human race has come under
the scanner because of a novel contagion that was not known to
mankind in the past. Though the novel disease causing agent is often
compared to some of its members that are known to cause similar
kind of clinical manifestation, it is regarded as novel because of its
ability to rapidly spread among people which differentiates it from its
earlier contenders. The virus that is commonly called a COVID-19
is a pleomorphic, mutating virus and is known for contact spreading.
Though the disease started as an epidemic in the Wuhan province
of China, it soon spread all over the world resulting in a pandemic
condition. Young children and older adults are highly susceptible to
the disease which targets the respiratory system. The initial symptoms
of the disease causes cold like signs associated with fever and cough
which in later stages transforms in severe acute respiratory syndrome
causing severe respiratory manifestation and under further stages can
lead to death because of multiple organ failure.
Several reports have claimed the significance of ivermectin in
inhibiting the replication of SARS-CoV in vitro. The treatment
is capable of producing an impact of 5000 fold reduction in viral
development within 48hrs under lab conditions in cell cultures.
This drug has been approved by FDA for parasitic infections and is
therefore regarded as a prime solution for COVID infection. World
health organization (WHO) also has included ivermectin on the list
of essential medicines and regards ivermectin as a possible option
against COVID infection.55 Ivermectin has been very commonly used
as an option for parasitic infections but recent developments have
substantiated the significance of the drug in an affirmative manner
against viruses. Several studies have validated the prominence of
the drug against viruses in lab conditions (in vitro conditions).56,57
The drug was originally identified as an inhibitor of HIV-1 (human
immunodeficiency virus-1) integrase protein and importin responsible
for nuclear import.58 Ivermectin has since been validated to inhibit
viral proteins capable of nuclear import and HIV-1 replication.
Though other actions of ivermectin have been demonstrated, it is
known for the inhibition of viral nuclear import in the host.59 Studies
Citation: Ranganathan V, Madham P, Somayaji A. COVID-19: A novel strain challenging the human race. J Microbiol Exp. 2020;8(3):98‒107.
DOI: 10.15406/jmen.2020.08.00292
Copyright:
©2020 Ranganathan et al. 104
have also substantiated the role of ivermectin in inhibiting viral
proteins like the large tumor antigen protein of simian virus SV40
and the non structural protein of dengue virus (DENV).60 In the recent
past, researchers have validated the role of ivermectin in limiting the
infections caused by RNA viruses which have been demonstrated in
case of dengue virus and influenza virus and is known to possess broad
spectrum activity.61 It is a widely known fact that the current pandemic
caused by nCoV-19 is an RNA containing virus (positive sense RNA)
which causes respiratory affiliated manifestations leading to viral
pneumonia in critical stages. The virus comprises of single stranded
RNA as its genome and causes severe acute respiratory syndrome.
Studies on SARS corona virus have revealed certain proteins that play
a vital role in the sustenance and development of the virus.
Studies on SARS-CoV proteins have revealed a potential role for
IMPα/β1 during infection in signal-dependent nucleocytoplasmic
shutting of the SARS-CoV Nucleocapsid protein.62,63 Further insights
on SARS CoV proteins have disclosed the significance of SARS-CoV
accessory protein ORF6 in antagonizing the antiviral activity of the
STAT1 transcription factor by sequestering IMPα/β1 on the rough ER/
Golgi membrane.64 Based on the above insights, the reports suggested
that ivermectin’s nuclear transport inhibitory activity may be effective
against SARS-CoV-2.
Conclusion
Microorganisms and humans are inseparable because major
biological processes in our system cannot be coordinated without the
assistance of these invisible creatures but the darker side of their bad
reputation from the context of human well being cannot be ignored.
As a matter of fact the coexistence of humans with microorganisms
has had a very long history over the course of time. The prominence
of microorganisms in research for human betterment cannot be denied
as they have led to productive outcomes of scientific significance.
Hence it could be rightly said that microorganism and humans are
essential aspect of the nature. Use of microorganisms in research has
provided answers to many human queries from the perspective of
heath and well being. Several organizations have attempted to curb
the incidence of the disease by creating awareness. Legal bodies and
authorized firms have undertaken appropriate measures to safeguard
the people. Extensive screening at various entry and exit points were
carried out for the isolation of patients with positive COVID-19
symptoms and the isolated patients were sent to quarantine centers
installed at different places. There is a lot of speculation about how the
virus actually spreads and some sources claim the viability of virus in
the air which cannot be denied because they spread through infected
droplets released from patients through coughing, sneezing, talking
etc. Recent studies also validate the spread of the disease by person
to person contact.
Several studies have demonstrated scientific measures to disclose
a suitable drug for the contagion and FDA in collaboration with the
world health organization have taken essential scientific measure
through in vitro procedures. The use of ivermectin has been approved
by the FDA and further tests are going on for further insights and the
mechanism of counteracting the virus. Several studies have disclosed
the ability of the drug to inhibit the virus by interfering with the viral
replication process. However, further validation through clinical trials
and lab procedures are needed for comprehending the mechanism of
drug action and the response in humans to the drug. In addition, steps
like social distancing and self quarantine measures also have had an
impact on the extent of COVID-19 spread. Plasma treatment have
been suggested by authorized organization as an attempt to curb the

COVID-19: A novel strain challenging the human race
incidence of disease but further experiments have to be performed to
validate the usefulness of the treatment. There is no effective vaccine
or medicine for the contagion but some studies reveal the usefulness
of chloroquin and sodium hypochlorite (as a disinfectant for cleaning
the objects and floor). However, according to WHO, vaccine is yet to
be discovered and quarantine measures like self isolation and social
The following are some questions related to COVID-19 which are yet to be answered
Acknowledgments
None.
Conflicts of interest
Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
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Citation: Ranganathan V, Madham P, Somayaji A. COVID-19: A novel strain challenging the human race. J Microbiol Exp. 2020;8(3):98‒107.
DOI: 10.15406/jmen.2020.08.00292